I BUILD A MONOLITH by Jessica Lee McMillan

April 10, 2023
Poem title: I BUILD A MONOLITH Poet: Jessica Lee McMillan Poem: I try not to remember phobia names Play synthpop & rockabilly cleaning the toilet Hang on the fat of each adjective in IKEA manuals Dream through smeared train windows as though in flight Sing song my speech when folks get monotone Break elevator silence with eccentric jokes Read Ginsberg at parties 'til they weep & pour them some tea Add extra seasoning especially on non-holidays Use double the cocoa required in every recipe Watch B movies, costume jewellery of the soul Mentor under children for the best kind of poetry Look for the kid in middle-aged smiles Feel nostalgic before the photo’s taken Let the ice cream melody haunt my heartstrings Smell memories from sunned rubber on bike tires Picture my final years in a hip hospice for ageing goths Write funny passwords for my spouse to find when I’m gone Stop at birthdays and take in the view from my rock built on a pile of small gratitudes End of poem. Credits and bio: Copyright © Jessica Lee McMillan Jessica Lee McMillan (she/her) is a poet and civil servant whose work has appeared in The Humber Literary Review, Train Poetry Journal, Pinhole Poetry, GAP RIOT Press, Antilang, Blank Spaces, Red Alder Review, SORTES and others. She was the poetry finalist for the 2022 Royal City Literary Arts Society Write On! Contest. Her first chapbook is coming in Fall 2023 via Rose Garden Press and she is currently working on her second chapbook. Jessica is grateful to live in New Westminster on the unceded and unsurrendered land of the Halkomelem speaking peoples with her little family, large dog and shelves of books and records. See more about her work on jessicaleemcmillan.com.